Over the years only a few male athletes have moved out of their usual sporting boundaries and embraced the world of fashion. Lewis Hamilton is one of them, and his name appears to be a front-runner in this segment who made it big in the fashion world. Now, he has come up to reveal how the F1 paddock is a red carpet for him, and it’s deeper than just sporting a variety of clothes.
Hamilton often attends high-profile events in various fashion weeks, where he collaborates with globally renowned brands such as Dior, Valentino, and Balenciaga. Notably, he also works as the global brand ambassador of Tommy Hilfiger.
Through these fashion events, the seven-time world champion strives to create a platform for black, and incredibly talented young designers and collaborate with them. A bright example of this was when he bought a table for them at the Met Gala back in 2021.
Speaking of this, the Mercedes star said to GQ, “I’m always looking for young and upcoming designers. It’s an opportunity to really create a platform for some of these designers to shine on a bit of a red carpet which is at the racetrack in our paddock.”
Away from the fashion events, Hamilton is also seen donning the brands and appearing on the paddock, every race weekend. His most recent appearances at the Australian Grand Prix garnered considerable attention when he collaborated with Balmain and a Ghanaian artist, Prince Gyasi.
Lewis Hamilton has come a long way in fashion
People find Lewis Hamilton’s fashion sense very unique and he ensures that he gets the messaging right with it, expressing his inner persona via his outfits. Be it at several fashion events like the Met Gala or at race weekends in the F1 paddock, the Briton’s deliberate selection of outfits never fails to make an impression.
However, the 39-year-old was not always as flamboyant or bold with his outfits in his early days. He has faced some criticism too about his bold choice of outfits. Even the late Niki Lauda, who was one of his role models, was critical of the Briton’s fashion endeavors. Lauda’s criticism was more pointed toward how Hamilton’s off-track activities in fashion may affect his racing.
Back in 2018, Hamilton and Mercedes faced the wrath of the media after the seven-time world champion failed to arrive at the media day of the Singapore GP. The 39-year-old was in China, busy launching his own collection with Tommy Hilfiger.
However, the Briton pulled off some insane performances in qualifying that saw him take pole by three-tenths to Max Verstappen. In the race, Hamilton turned out to be untouchable as he crossed the finish line with a nine-second gap to the Dutchman. This led to Lauda accepting Hamilton’s off-track endeavors too, and the latter is still continuing to make his mark in the fashion world.
